Vol. 40, 2010

MILITARY HISTORY OF THE WEST 2010

Vol. 40, 2010

The March to Monterey (Tennessee) and the View from Chapultepec (Wisconsin): American Community Names and the Commemoration of the Mexican War by Douglas A. Murphy

Abstract: In the Mexican War era, hundreds of towns adopted named that recalled people and places of this conflict. Residents believed they had witnessed a nation-shaping moment and sought to establish the significance of their hometowns by linking them to this event. Many of these towns faded along with memories of the war while others found new ways to define themselves.Key Words: Mexican War; town names; commemoration; memory.

U.S.--Mexican War Veterans and the Congressional Pension Fight by Michael Scott Van Wagenen

Abstract: When veterans of the U.S.-Mexican War attempted to secure service pensions in 1874, Republican Congressmen accused them of attempting to give federal aid to former Confederates. This led to a thirteen-year debate on Capitol Hill over the loyalty of the veterans and their worthiness to receive federal assistance in their declining years.Key Words: U.S.-Mexican War; Veterans; Military Service Pensions; United States Congress.

"It Was a Thing Whose Time Had Come": Texas Tech's Vietnam Center and Archive by Kelly E. Crager

Abstract: For over twenty years the Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University has been collecting and preserving the history of the American experience in the Vietnam War. This article examines the founding of the Center and Archive and explores its ongoing efforts to preserve the history of the war.Key Words: Vietnam Center and Archive; Vietnam War; Texas Tech University; archives; oral history; Vietnam veterans.

Finding the Way and Fixing the Boundary: The Science and Art of Western Map Making As Exemplified by William H. Emory and his Colleagues of the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers by Rollie Schafer

Abstract: The accounts of U.S. Army topographers clearly illustrate the techniques and technology used in the field to determine longitude and latitude precisely, the foundation of accurate map making. Because William H. Emory's detailed observational notes, including raw data, were published as appendices to his narratives, we can assess his topographical accomplishments quantitatively and compare them to those of his contemporaries and to modern standards. This paper describes the technology and methods used by the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers during the Mexican War period and the challenges they faced in making accurate scientific measurements in the field..Key Words: U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers; William H. Emory; John C. Frémont; Mapmaking.

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